Qualifying for Europe could drag Portsmouth down, insists James
David James believes qualifying for Europe could be the worst thing to happen to and claims it may have a disastrous effect on their form in the Barclays Premier League due to the size of Harry Redknapp's squad.
The England goalkeeper says the demands of playing in the UEFA Cup will stretch the FA Cup winners to breaking point and is not relishing the prospect, reports The Daily Mirror.
James, 38, said: ''We've a UEFA Cup bid and that's going to put a strain on us with the amount of games and the size of our squad.
Worried: David James says Europe could damage Portsmouth's league form.
'Middlesbrough proved in 2006 you can go so far in the UEFA Cup but unless you win it, it becomes a bit of a fruitless task.
'It's going to be important we keep our players fit to do well in Europe and on the other front do well in the league.'
James also pointed out Portsmouth lost their last four games of last season after reaching the FA Cup final at Wembley and is concerned more success in cup competition will see the South Coast club tumble down the league table.
'As we found in the FA Cup last season it is easy to take your eye off your league position," he added.
'Arguably we could have finished fifth, but with the FA Cup we didn't and we ended up eighth.'
